| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Thuvia, Maid of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs: "Must we die without a struggle?" asked Kar Komak.
"Not I," replied Carthoris, "though I know how futile
our best defence must be against these mighty brutes!
Oh, for a long-sword!"
"Or a good bow," added Kar Komak, "and a utan of bowmen."
At the words Carthoris half sprang to his feet, only
to be dragged roughly down by his guard.
"Kar Komak!" he cried. "Why cannot you do what Tario and
Jav did? They had no bowmen other than those of their
own creation. You must know the secret of their power.
Call forth your own utan, Kar Komak!"
 Thuvia, Maid of Mars |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Spirit of the Border by Zane Grey: some rocks. They were where the channel narrowed and ran close to the
right-hand bank. Under a willow-flanked ledge was a sand-bar. To Joe there
seemed nothing hazardous in drifting through this pass.
"Bad place ahead," said Bill, observing Joe's survey of the river.
"It doesn't look so," replied Joe.
"A raft ain't a boat. We could pole a boat. You has to hev water to float
logs, an' the river's run out considerable. I'm only afeerd fer the horses. If
we hit or drag, they might plunge around a bit."
When the raft passed into the head of the bend it struck the rocks several
times, but finally gained the channel safely, and everything seemed propitious
for an easy passage.
 The Spirit of the Border |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift: can very seldom pick up a livelihood by stealing till they arrive
at six years old; except where they are of towardly parts,
although I confess they learn the rudiments much earlier; during
which time they can however be properly looked upon only as
probationers: As I have been informed by a principal gentleman in
the county of Cavan, who protested to me, that he never knew
above one or two instances under the age of six, even in a part
of the kingdom so renowned for the quickest proficiency in that
art.
I am assured by our merchants, that a boy or a girl before twelve
years old, is no saleable commodity, and even when they come to
 A Modest Proposal |